Newsroom

AFP-COLORADO IS KEEPING SENATOR MARK UDALL ACCOUNTABLE

Share this:

March 18, 2014

Parker – Sen. Mark Udall (D-Colo.) has supported – and advocated for – Obamacare as a beneficial tool for Colorado’s businesses and their employees. But now, the law is proving to be a burden to Colorado businesses and hurting the very people Sen. Udall claimed it would help.

Dustin Zvonek, spokesman for Americans for Prosperity – Colorado, issued the following statement:

“When will Senator Udall be honest with Coloradoans and admit that Obamacare is hurting businesses and employees throughout our state? Sen. Mark Udall was not elected to represent Washington’s interests in Colorado; he was elected to fight for Coloradoan’s best interests in Washington. It’s time for him to listen to the people of Colorado and stop putting politics over people.”

SEN. MARK UDALL SAID OBAMACARE WOULD HELP SMALL BUSINESSES

Sen. Mark Udall Claimed That Obamacare Would Be Good For Small Businesses And Employees. “An important factor to hiring and retaining a competitive workforce for any small business is the ability to provide reasonable and affordable health coverage for their employees – health care plans that meet their needs and provide reliable coverage. That is why when Congress passed the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2010, I fought to ensure that the law helps small businesses provide their employees with access to affordable and quality health coverage.” (Sen. Mark Udall, “A Small Business Primer to the ACA,” 10/25/12)

BUT COLORADO BUSINESSES ARE BEING HIT WITH HIGHER COSTS, AND MANY ARE CONFUSED

College Limits Part-Time Staff’s Hours To Avoid Obamacare Costs.” “Starting next year the Affordable Care Act (ACA) will require that large employers offer insurance to any worker putting in more than 30 hours per week. But the 600 part-time professors at Colorado Mountain College won’t be among those who benefit from the change. That’s because CMC is prohibiting any adjunct from working more than 30 hours per week to avoid the obligation of providing its part-time labor force with insurance under President Obama’s signature healthcare law. …Instead, the school has limited adjuncts to teaching no more than nine credit hours per semester, which translates to about 27 hours per week assuming a ratio of two hours of preparation time for every hour spent in the classroom.” (Nelson Harvey, Aspen Daily News, 3/17/14)

“’The employer mandate changes, the individual mandate changes. Really from day to day I don’t know exactly where we stand,’ said Jim Noon from Centennial Container. Like many small business owners, Noon wants certainty; something he feels is lacking in the rollout of Obamacare.” (CBS Denver, 3/15/14)

“’Business owners are throwing up hands and saying ‘what are we supposed to expect next?’ They’re not hiring, they aren’t reinvesting and they aren’t expanding,’ said Tony Galiardi with the Federation of Independent Businesses… ‘We have process for implementing laws and we’re seeing that be completely bypassed for political expediency,’ said Galiardi.” (CBS Denver, 3/15/14)

MEANWHILE, UDALL IS DONG WHATEVER IT TAKES TO SAVE HIS SEAT IN THE SENATE

FLASHBACK: Udall “Intimidated” Colorado’s Division of Insurance Over Lackluster Obamacare Enrollment Numbers. “An administrator at Colorado’s Division of Insurance felt intimidated by U.S. Sen. Mark Udall’s legislative director in November after the aide pushed back against claims that 250,000 Coloradans had policies canceled because of the Affordable Care Act, according to internal e-mails.” (Allison Sherry and Michael Booth, The Denver Post, 1/9/14)

Joe Britton, Mark Udall’s Legislative Director: “’We need to move on this ASAP — or we’ll be forced to challenge the 249K number ourselves,’ Udall legislative director Joe Britton wrote to Jo Donlin at the Division of Insurance. ‘It is wildly off or at least very misleading and reporters keep repeating it.’” (Emily Schultheis, POLITICO, 1/10/14)

Colorado’s Division Of Insurance Director: “Sen. Udall says our numbers were wrong. They are not wrong. Cancellation notices affected 249,199 people. They want to trash our numbers. I’m holding strong while we get more details. Many have already done early renewals. Regardless, they received cancellation notices.” (Allison Sherry and Michael Booth, The Denver Post, 1/9/14)

OpEd: “Don’t Let Mark Udall’s Obamacare Scandal Slide.” “Udall has been an enthusiastic supporter and defender of Obamacare, and repeatedly echoed Obama’s false promise that, ‘If you like your current health insurance plan, you can keep it.’ Since he’s now politically married to it, you can understand why he’d want to quash reports of massive health insurance cancellations for his Colorado constituents. …With Obama’s approval record dropping to new low of 36 percent in Colorado, November voters may hold Udall accountable for his role in the failures of Team Obama as well as the unethical behavior of his staff.” (Mike Rosen, The Denver Post, 2/12/14)

For further information or an interview, please contact Dustin Zvonek at DZvonek@afphq.org or 720.219.1451.